Straightening rear end housings.

[Erik Barrett]

Building a couple rear ends for people. It’s amazing how many of them are bent. Like oil pans. I have never put one on my KRW jig that didn’t need some correction.

[Ken Buhler]

Out of 17 housings I straightened last year, 2 didn't need work.

[Stephen1915]

Erik, Would it be possible for me to send you 2 1915 housings to check/straighten?

[Stephen1915]

Out of 17 housings I straightened last year, 2 didn't need work.

Ken are you doing this as a service as well?

[Norman Kling]

Does that heat treatment cause the housing to become brittle? How do you put the proper temper into the steel?
Norm

[Ken Buhler]

I did them for my own inventory. I do not want to be in a competitive position with anyone established already. Shipping is always a factor.

[Erik Johnson]

Years ago, I saw someone cold straighten 1914 axle housings while they were on the car.

He set the wheels on an I-beam, wrapped chains around the housings and I-beam fore and aft of area he wanted to straighten, and used hydraulic pancake jack between the I-beam and housing, jacking and repositioning as needed until he was satisfied.

[Erik Barrett]

Heating the tubes doesn’t bother the Ford steel tubes. I will straighten housings if you get them here. It’s $50 a pair.

[perry kete]

Hey Erik...Here is a rear end that needs straightened!

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[Michael Peternell]

Hey Erik...Here is a rear end that needs straightened!

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Southern wide track?
Sorry! Couldn't help it!

[Norman Kling]

She needs to get off that scooter and walk. That exercise would help.
Norm

[TRDxB2]

Hey Erik...Here is a rear end that needs straightened!

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Its no good has a crack in it

[Erik Johnson]

That's a rare, southern wide-track.....

[Alan Long]

I had 4 large spigot bushes made up that slide into the housings where the Hyatt Bearing Sleeves go. Then after we believed
the housing were straight we bolted both housings together and offered up a 2” Diameter steel bar. This slid through all 4 bushes and exited the other end of the housings . This proved that all sleeve diameters were in perfect alignment.
Alan in Western Australia

[Original Smith]

Great information! Most of the ones I've used need to be straightened.

[Erik Barrett]

Perry, I would have to use my big lathe for that one!

[RGould1910]

Bending the tube to align with the center casting bolt surface only works if the tube itself is sprung and you are straightening the bend. If the problem is the center section is sprung or was not riveted to the tube correctly, bending the tube will cause the roller bearings to be misaligned
One attempt to address this concern is to mount a large plug to the fixture which is held in the lathe to which the housing is bolted. The plug fits snugly into the inner bearing when the housing is bolted up.
The idea is to keep the bearing hole horizontal so that bending the tube won't misalign the bearing holes .
If the bolt surface of the housing does not bolt up evenly on the fixture with the plug inserted, the problem is a misaligned center casting and that should be addressed. I'll try to post a photo of the fixture later.

[perry kete]

Let's see you straighten this one!

lady in Walmart.jpg

[Darren J Wallace]

I’m going to be the devil’s advocate here in a respectful way. I’m a 35 year tool and die machinist and a millwright. I believe by correcting these rear ends you guys are doing a great thing.
That being said, honestly, how many rear ends had alignment issues right out of the gate? We’ve all seen what a frantic pace old movie footage shows Ford employees going like Jack the Bear.
How many of these rear ends were checked to the accuracy of indicating them up in a lathe?
Trying to achieve a perfect alignment with a rear axle could be all for naught the moment you hit a pot hole or disturb the rear end with a hit or shock of significant force.
So really what acceptable amount of error in alignment is safe?
.001”?, .005”?, 1/32”?, 1/16”? I would be interested in knowing where one should draw the line.
Respectfully submitted.

[Les Schubert]

I try for 1/16”

[Erik Barrett]

I’m sure a lot of them were not perfect right out of the factory. But I like to have them as straight as possible when they leave my shop.

[RGould1910]

I've settled for .050" swing, but try to get less. By that I mean swing at the wheel end with the center casting end mounted in the lathe fixture.

[Allan]

Darren makes a very good point. I had to do extensive correction work to the centre castings on my 1912 clamshell diff because of cracks in the castings between the rivet holes. It is the only diff I have ever had to straighten. I assemble mine using a jig which holds the housings on the vertical. The axles present themselves off centre at the outside end at times. If I can wobble them enough that they would not bind on a roller bearing when inserted, I consider them good to go.

Welding the cracks in the clamshell centres warped the mating surfaces between them. I machined a stub to fit in the bearing tunnels and used this to mount the castings in the lathe. Both the mating surfaces and the thrust plate surfaces had to be dressed to true them. When the tubes were fitted. one side needed to be "adjusted".

Allan from down under.